See Blog for more recent Project Updates
The Jubilee Community Connections Orchard Planting Project
Community Orchard Project South East CIC has been awarded £9985 in funding from The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK.
We will use the funding to carry forward our Jubilee Community Connections Orchard Planting Project which aims to plant 70 heritage fruit trees (in total) along with pollinating native hedging (where appropriate) with members of the community in towns, villages and parishes around us. Each village will be encouraged and supported to view their orchard trees as part of a bigger, connected project networked to share volunteers, resources, knowledge, experience and orchard care training events and celebrations.
This new National Lottery funding will help increase the variety of our local greenspaces and the biodiversity within providing benefits for both human and wild life! Planting events are set to begin over the Jubilee weekend with more due to be scheduled in as the year goes on. If you know of a piece of community land that might support a few fruit trees, or you’d like to know more or get involved as a volunteer do get in touch: email [email protected] and/or visit www.copseorchardproject.org
Claire Matthes, Project Coordinator said: “Thanks to the National Lottery funding, this grant means that we can extend the growing development of community orchards in and around the area - great for wildlife – whilst networking with residents to bring a sense of community and shared purpose, events and skillsharing that creating, caring for and enjoying such spaces engenders”.
To find out more visit www.TNLCommunityFund.org.uk
There will be a Summer event at Eashing Cemetery in July. Details to follow soon...
COPSE Current Proposed Orchard Surveys
Bramshott and Liphook Orchard
SAVE THE DATE!! Community Orchard Planting Day: Wednesday 23rd February 2022 - time and further details to follow....
The Liphook area is blessed with several wide, open recreation spaces which have been a particular boon to local residents during the pandemic. Bramshott and Liphook Parish Council are now proposing to provide its residents with a quieter, contemplative and fruitful space in the form of a Community Orchard on an area of parish-owned land at Fletchers Field. They are working with Community Orchard Project South East (that's us!) to explore this idea in more detail and gathered residents’ thoughts and ideas about how they might use this very special space through a community consultation period in 2021, which included a Community Pop-up event on the site at Fletchers Field back in August.
Six fruit-trees will be planted in February 2022 in an area of amenity grassland owned by Bramshott and Liphook Parish Council, adjacent to Fletchers House. Three local heritage apples (including the very special Bramshott Rectory) are to be planted towards the centre of the orchard, with plum trees (Victoria and Golden Drop) in opposite corners and a single medlar tree.
The meadow beneath the orchard is to be managed as a wildflower meadow, to include two footpaths about 1.5m wide cut on a regular basis between the fruit trees. A 2-3m wayleave will be regularly maintained as short grass to ensure the meadow does not fall onto and impede the adjacent footpaths during the growing season. Later on, local-sourced plugs or seeds of native flowering meadow species may be planted (e.g. yellow-rattle and oxeye-daisy).
Six fruit-trees will be planted in February 2022 in an area of amenity grassland owned by Bramshott and Liphook Parish Council, adjacent to Fletchers House. Three local heritage apples (including the very special Bramshott Rectory) are to be planted towards the centre of the orchard, with plum trees (Victoria and Golden Drop) in opposite corners and a single medlar tree.
The meadow beneath the orchard is to be managed as a wildflower meadow, to include two footpaths about 1.5m wide cut on a regular basis between the fruit trees. A 2-3m wayleave will be regularly maintained as short grass to ensure the meadow does not fall onto and impede the adjacent footpaths during the growing season. Later on, local-sourced plugs or seeds of native flowering meadow species may be planted (e.g. yellow-rattle and oxeye-daisy).
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We're pleased to announce that the Liphook Community Orchard was planted in February this year (see Blog). We're still keen to hear your thoughts about a Community Orchard and how you could get involved. There are plans to plant further fruit trees in Liphook as part of our Jubilee project.
Email [email protected] with your ideas, questions and concerns. |
Contact for more information:
Claire Matthes 07765 890484 |
Grayshott Orchard Survey
Grayshott Orchard Plan above shows the current resources on the proposed site, pre-design, situated next to Beech Allotments. The address of the Orchard is: Grayshott Playing Field, Headley Road, GU26 6FH
Survey NOW CLOSED. For more information about the next steps please contact the Grayshott Parish Clerk:
Phone: 01428 606510
Email: [email protected]
Overview of COPSE projects
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A Community Orchard for Grayshott. We are delighted to be working with Grayshott Parish Council to be part of bringing a Community Orchard to Grayshott, engaging with the local community to help create a vision for what this orchard might look like and how it could be used.
Grayswood Nursery Forest School Orchard: A small orchard of 20 trees was planted by Gareth and Andy during June 2019, with parents, children and local Councillors helping-out. The trees were planted in groups of five, providing an outdoor learning space for the School
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Vivid Homes, Private Community Orchard, Wrecclesham: From Nettley-dump (2018) to Orchard-space (2020)
Puttenham, Hogs-Back Orchard: A small Parish orchard, consisting of 12 fruit trees on chalk downland
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Watts Gallery Orchard: A small wildlife orchard supporting 30 fruit trees, managed and maintained by the Gardening Team on behalf of Watts Gallery Artist's Village. Gareth is a Heritage Gardener for the Gallery, assisting with orchard-maintenance.
Swan Barn Orchard: A 0.8ha traditional sheep-grazed orchard (dated early 1900), supports several 100 fruit trees, owned and managed by National Trust. Gareth has developed skills in tree maintainance at this orchard, assisted NT events and provided fruit to local food producers and distributers in the Community .
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Special thanks to the Community Foundation for Surrey for providing the seed funding to nurture COPSE. https://www.cfsurrey.org.uk/ The Community Foundation for Surrey is a philanthropic charity established in 2005 to inspire local giving for local needs, working with donors who want to give something back to their local communities and voluntary groups providing vital services for local people and disadvantaged individuals. |
Orchard links: Committee members planting fruit-trees outside of COPSE...
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East Surrey Hospital: An Orchard planted in 2015, following a new Theatre development over an historical pond, has since been used as a space for nurses and NHS workers to relax and enjoy
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Gretton, Gloucestershire: A Community Orchard planted in the Cotswolds during 2018, supporting 12 local apple varieties
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Glade Lane Country Park, Ealing:
Heritage fruit trees (x12) were planted at the Country Park in 2018, within the Hanwell to Norwood Orchard Trail 
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